“He … what?”

She sat there confused, both because of the image of Vitruvion looking horribly rough and unlike his usual, pristine self burnt in her mind and because of what she was hearing.

Sable, the black haired young beauty he had acquired some months prior to 'replace’ Stare in the Hollow, shrugged slightly. “Just what I said. He's not touched Blaze or I in three months. Plus I found out he …” she whispered the next word, “didn't wait for either of you two to be ready.”

The kenku drew in a breath, her brow furrowed low as she tried to understand what exactly what the girl was saying. “It's - it's common practise for them to - he, when I was -” she flexed her hand into a fist, grinding the claws into her palm. Fresh pain came into her and it felt good to keep in the present and not think about then. Not be threatened by those memories.

“He hasn't touched you for three months?” she repeated back, going for the first option of announcement. The second, after all, she partly knew because Jordain had hinted at it during their last two weeks of acquaintanceship.

Sable shook her head a little, pulling on the long dress and cardigan that Stare had managed to salvage for her. The girl suited the clothes much better than the sparse slivers of material that were usual for the ‘guests’ here. With the power she now had, however temporary, Stare had been able to make a few minor changes to the lives of the girls in the Hollow. One of them was finding those who had been discarded and sent to be below the very last of the brother's appartments, to be playthings of the guards. Stare had managed to give them more of a life, not fully able to go down herself but given Zulon enough resources and threats that they should be clothed, fed well and warm at the very least. The other major change was to properly dress them all, with a simple rule that when the brothers were not entertaining them, the girls could dress how they wanted. Since Vitruvion's main businesses were arranged around tailoring and fashion it was easy to gain clothes: the off-casts of last season that would else be sent to burn. Stare found herself able to look at them with a little more confidence, despite the fact Lament had sworn to hate her.

“It's actually been bearable here,” Sable shrugged slightly. “Dare I say it. I suppose you cannot arrange for us to be freed?”

Stare grunted. “I told you before, that is the last thing I can do.”

The young woman paused for a moment as she fidgeted with the edge of her cardigan. Her eyes darted briefly around the antichamber that they were in - that she had asked to visit to give Stare her gratitude for the clothing. Stare had been surprised about that, then even more so with this revelation. And Vitruvion's face.

“But he's not even … using us.” She mumbled the last words.

“He specifically ordered me not to begin a revolution,” Stare answered, leaning over to grab her mug of tea. “And as you saw outside I have my own glorious retinue now. For my protection apparently.” She rolled her eyes and slumped back, then looked at Sable again. “Three months?”

It was around the same time that Stare had found out she was immortal. The few weeks that had passed after that had mostly had her in a grump, superior to the one she was in currently. But this bothered her. Why would those two times correlate? Vitruvion had given his reasonings for her immortality - namely, because he refused to live without her. She guessed she was useful to him, discovering personal talents in finance management and business that she had never considered herself to have. Also, there was a strong correlation between them. He had grown significantly more powerful himself as she had, although was nowhere near what he should be as a god. As her powers had increased, as well as her wings growing, he had begun to be able to see into his father's own mind and memories, without his father knowing he was there. He could still not create, but he could certainly teleport further, could manipulate the weather and was possibly even stronger. All thanks to her presence. The fact he refused to live without her, Stare had decided, was tied into that; his love for power. And the fact he had gone through the whole process of binding her mind to his, enslaving her for eternity. He wasn't the sort of man to let that go to waste.

“Have you any idea why?” Sable asked quietly.

No, Stare did not. Why more power meant that Vitruvion could not sleep with his kidnapped sex slaves was beyond her. It wasn't like he was getting satisfaction from her, and she hadn't seen many whores around. He could be, of course, visiting brothels in his times alone, which were many, but he was not the sort of man to pay when he could get it for free.

Stare frowned deeply.

“I do not know when he might be back. We might as well make most of the time. Is there anything you … want to do whilst he is away?”

Sable paused, surprised at being asked. “Do I … what?”

“Do you and Blaze want to … I don't know, go to the beach. See an art museum. Go shopping? I mean Zulon will definitely not let us go without some fight and a hell of a lot of guards but …”

“Tothetheatre!” came a garbled answer.

Stare paused, and tilted her head. “... Sorry?”

“Sorry,” Sable smiled awkwardly. “Could we … possibly go to the theatre?”